FroYo ceases to be a low-cal treat once it’s been spruced up with Butterfinger bits or if it’s more cookie dough than cup, so don’t for a second think you’re pulling a fast one on your scale if you skip over Ben and Jerry’s for 32 Degrees. Or maybe your problem is with a different scale: You think you’re being conservative with the weight of your serving, only to find yourself dishing out $7 for no more than a couple spoonfuls. The sudden glut of choose-your-own-topping yogurt shops in Charleston can easily lead to gluttony if you’re not careful, but if you follow our tips, you’ll leave with the right amount of yogurt in your belly and the right amount of cash left in your wallet.
Samples are key
On a practical level, it makes sense to ask for one of the tiny paper sample cups at a FroYo place, if they are not readily available to you. You need to know whether or not you want to stick to traditional strawberry instead of impulsively going for a more gimmicky flavor like gingerbread. That’s obvious. But the other great thing about samples is they’re pretty generous, and you can fill up on tiny servings before you start prepping the one you’re actually going to be paying for.
Pick a light FroYo flavor
Chocolate mint seems like a really good idea at first, but when you’re overloading it with the shattered pieces of five different candy bars, it can all become a bit too much and leave your tummy aching. Vanilla has been popular forever for this very reason.
You will never fail with cereal
All FroYo is, really, is frozen milk, so why wouldn’t you add cereal? And there’s something special that happens when you mix the creamy smoothness of the yogurt with the gentle crunch of Fruity Pebbles in a single spoonful. It is dessert zen.
Forget the fruit
I mean, really. For however much these establishments will have you think that FroYo is a sublime alternative to its mortal enemy, the calorie-heavy ice cream, everyone is still going to a FroYo place to indulge.
Sprinkle it on
Adding sprinkles to an item is an experience rarely replicated at home, unless you have one of those cool families who are ready for sundae night at a moment’s notice.
Avoid the gummy
At one point or another, we have topped our frozen treats with gummy bears, gummy worms, gummy strawberries, or the gummy Venus de Milo. And our teeth have paid the price. Fall for their cute little gelatinous bodies and you’ll spend so much time chewing that your FroYo will melt before you’re done. And to be fair, the same could really be said for chocolate chips or M&Ms, whose texture seems to lose some of its luster if it gets too cold.
Skip the sauce, too
Unless you’re looking for a cloyingly sweet soup that’ll leave you sticky, keep it simple, stupid.
Always get the crumbled Oreos
Enough said.
Carry coupons
We run them in the City Paper every once in a while, and sometimes you can pick some up via other means. Saving 10 percent or a dollar off your purchase will justify the literal cherry on top.
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